My first street-legal motorcycle was a Honda XL500R dual-sport, and as a teenager I rode the wheels off that thumper, generally wearing a backpack to carry stuff since securely fitting the soft luggage available then to its skinny seat and fenders was a pain. Like our dual-sport bikes of today, however, soft luggage for them has advanced considerably, enough that it?s now possible to quickly and securely attach enough for an on-/off-road overnighter, even on my little Yamaha WR250R.

Nelson-Rigg recently released a pair of Dual-Sport/Enduro Saddlebags that hold 12 liters per side, or 15 liters per side expanded, a good size for a short camping trip into the backwoods or trips to the grocery store on most dual-sport singles. Constructed of UV treated, water-resistant Tri-Max fabric with an anti-slip/scratch protective panel on the back, their kidney shape is well suited to the upswept tail section and muffler of the typical dual-sport bike, and the lengthwise zipper on top makes it easy to load larger items?I was able to slip a large roll of paper towels and four cans of soda easily into one without even expanding it. Should you need more space, a circumferential zipper unzips to expand the bags outward, and there?s a pouch pocket for tools and whatnot on the underside of each.
The mounting system starts with the usual pair of adjustable hook-and-loop straps that go over the seat. Then you tie off the front of the bags with a slip-buckle strap that also serves a...